Coupling means



COUPLING MEANS Filed Ilay 10, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m llllllllll-@lllllllllll Sept. 16, 1958 F. J, FRY v2,852,019

COUPLING MEANS Filed lay l0, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O COUPLING MEANS Frank J. Fry, Champaign, Ill., assigner to University of Illinois Foundation Application May 10, 1956, Serial No. 584,122

6.Claims. (Cl. 12S-24) disclosed in the application of William I. and Frank I Fry, Serial No. 554,607, filed December 22, 1955), it is necessary to transmit sound energy from the sound irradiation head to the body tissue being treated and this is preferably done by immersing the head in a transmitting medium, such as de-gassed, sterile physiological saline solution, which is also in contact with they This requires the use of a receptacle for sup tissue. porting and containing the medium in contact with both the head and the tissue in a manner to provide a continuous conductive path from the head to the tissue while maintaining the medium at the desired and proper temperature.

According to this invention, the foregoing is accomplished by the use of a hopper-like receptacle having an open upper end for receiving the irradiation head, and a reduced opening at its lower end, adapted to be placed over the opening exposing the surface of the tissue to be treated at some desired region. The receptacle opening is designed to be secured to the skin surrounding the surface of the tissue to be treated and means are provided for making a fluid-tight seal with the bottom opening and the skin. Means are also provided for maintaining the transmitting fluid at any 'desired pre-V determined temperature.

A more complete understanding of this invention will be had from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a plan view of a coupler or support, constructed in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical central section, taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan View; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section taken approximately on line 4 4 of Figure 2.

As can be seen from the drawings, the coupling means comprises a ared metallic hopper-like receptacle indicated generally by 1, open at its upper end and having a reduced opening 3 in its bottom 4 through a centrally depressed portion 5. The opening 3 is provided with a downwardly and outwardly extending liange 7 to which the skin 8 surrounding the opening through which sound enters the biological system 9 is secured by a quickly attachable and detachable device such as a draw-wire, or tourniquet 11.

For example, if a portion of the brain is the living tissue to be treated, the skull cap must be removed and 2,852,019 Patented Sept. 16, 1958 the dura matter exposed (but not necessarily broken), in which event the skin, or scalp, surrounding the opening left by removal of the skull cap, is held in liquidtight engagement with the flange 7 by means of the tourniquet mentioned above.

As one convenient form of quickly operable device a tourniquet is shown comprising a draw-wire or loop 11, having one end secured to an open-sided, i. e. slotted sleeve 13 and the other end to an adjustable threaded rod 15 of small enough diameter to pass through the slot. After the skin is drawn up around the flange 7 the loop of wire 11 is placed over the flange exterior1 y of the skin and the rod 1S placed in the sleeve 13 and drawn up into the sleeve, to tighten the tourniquet, by means of a knurled knob 17.

In ultrasonic irradiation of tissue, i. e.A in use, the receptacle 1 is filled with a de-gassed sterile physiological saline solution, such as Ringers solution without bicarbonates, the irradiatiQnJlea is ins into the solution through the open upper end of the receptacle, and the patients head (if the brain is being treated) is secured in position in the bottom opening. The sound energy is thus transmitted from the transducer to the tissue to be treated through themliquid medium. It is essential that this medium e main ained at the desired pre-determined temperature and for this purpose there is provided a heat transfer medium, such as a coil 19 attached to the interior of the receptacle. The coil has two external connections 21 for convenience in circulating the heating medium through the coil.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that variations may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A coupling support for a fluid coupling transmitting medium of ultrasound energy from an ultrasound irradation head through an opening exposing the body tissue to be treated to said tissue, comprising a hopperlike receptacle adapted to receive said coupling medium and having an open upper end of sufficient size to receive said irradiation head and a bottom, the latter having a restricted opening adapted to be placed over the opening to the surface of the tissue to be irradiated, said opening in the bottom being surrounded by a downwardly extending ange, a tourniquet for securing the skin, surrounding said opening to the tissue to be treated, in uid tight engagement with said downwardly extending ange of said receptacle.

2. A coupling support as defined in claim l wherein said bottom has a depression therein surrounding said opening. l

3. A coupling support as dened in claim 1 wherein said tourniquet comprises a quickly releasable draw-wire clamp.

4. A coupling support as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for maintaining said temperature comprises a heating coil secured to said receptacle.

5. A coupling support as defined in claim 3, wherein said clamp comprises a wire loop having one end attached to a sleeve and its other end attached to an adjustable rod and means for drawing said rod into said sleeve.

6. A coupling support as defined in claim l including means for maintaining the medium in said receptacle at a predetermined temperature.

References Cited in the tile of this patent Electronics, July 1955, pp. 164, 166. 

